


we could learn something from each other

by orphan_account



Category: Ao no Exorcist | Blue Exorcist
Genre: Future Fic, Gen, Headcanon, SUCH AU, much headcanons, rin becomes a teacher, very expand on them, who let him teach demon studies?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-14
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-05-26 17:39:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6249262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Starts with exactly 1500 words on how Rin has no idea what he's doing when he becomes the newest teacher at the cram school. Continues with various shenanigans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. They'll Never Guess

When Rin Okumura finishes high school, it’s with the rest of his class, and that in and of itself is a miracle. It’s when he’s been out of school for a year, however, that he realizes something.

  
He has no idea what to do next.

  
He thinks about it for a long time. Exorcist pay is virtually nonexistent and he sure isn’t going to go to school for higher education, seeing as the only real reason he passed high school in the first place is for exorcist training. So he thinks, and he thinks for a really long time. He keeps on doing what he was doing, eventually getting a job as a cook and having a pretty good time of it, but he knows this isn’t really what he’s cut out for. Sure, he loves cooking, but it’s not something he wants to do for the rest of his life, let alone make a living off it.

  
So he keeps thinking, keeps cooking, keeps being an exorcist. When Rin Okumura is twenty-seven, he reaches the rank Upper First Class (albeit a ‘lower’ Upper First Class) and is pretty happy giving up on being Paladin, knowing that Yukio or Bon or Izumo or whoever else gets it after that Angel guy finally gets offed will do a much better job at it than he will and let’s face it, this is probably as high a rank as he can get (not that the Vatican would let him be Arch Knight either, but here’s to hoping). He’s already got Knight, Tamer and Dragoon meisters, with some background Doctor knowledge thanks to Yukio plus a good amount of Aria due to the old prayers he still remembers from growing up in a monastery, and he’s pretty happy at being able to pull off that much. It’s more than he ever hoped for himself when he was younger, anyway. But it’s also when he’s twenty-seven that Rin Okumura finally gets a real job, and if he went back in time and told his seventeen-year-old self what kind of job he’d get in ten years, he’s pretty sure he would have laughed in his own face, told himself to get lost, and probably made some lewd hand gesture too. Because never, ever in a million years would Rin Okumura ever picture himself as a teacher, but that’s exactly what he is.

  
He’s a teacher, and he’s proud of it, honestly, because he’s not just some teacher, he’s the teacher of Demon Studies at the cram school below True Cross Academy, and if that’s not a damn good job then he’s not sure what is. Oh, so many people tried to convince him not to do this. A demon teaching Demon Studies? You’ll get yourself killed, they said. I’ll be fine, he said in response. If a demon could run the whole damn Academy, then why couldn’t he be a teacher? So he took the job, and he knows that this, this is it.

  
When he walks into class the first day, running late with a cup of noodles in one hand and an overstuffed manila file in the other, shirt untucked and his exorcist pin gripped precariously between his teeth, he realizes he has no clue what the hell he’s doing.

  
Thankfully though, neither do the students. He’s pretty sure they know he’s an idiot by now, but he’s also sure they’re a bunch of idiots too, half of them unsure, the other half cocky beyond all belief thinking they know what’s what and who’s who already.

  
Oh, this oughta be fun.

 

Rin is a month into his teaching career when he decides it’s about time to liven things up a little. His students have yet to figure him out and clearly still don’t know what to make of him, all wide eyed freshmen pages who can’t quite figure out this blue haired weirdo with the elf ears and wickedly sharp teeth who carries a red _something_ with him at all times. So he starts dropping hints, sometimes saying something with a knowing tone that implies he knows more than he should, sometimes letting something slip that only a demon would know. He doesn’t let everything go just yet, though. He’s figured it all out, he thinks. Now he’s just waiting for the big reveal. Still- he’ll show them what he is alright, but he’s not quite ready to show them his parentage, so drawing his sword is out of the question for now, until he knows he can trust these kids.

  
It’s two months after that when a kid stands up in the middle of class and shouts that Okumura is a demon. They’re coming along faster than he planned, Rin muses (okay, so maybe he was baiting them a little bit). He takes a moment to consider the kid who called him out. They are quiet, withdrawn, and possess a drive he doesn’t quite see in the other students. The kid is a loner- maybe because they’re gender-nonconforming? Rin gets the feeling that they separate themself out for another reason. In a way, they remind him of himself, but definitely more so of Bon because they’re smart and get a little snippy when someone doesn’t know something right away. Plus, they’re highly ambitious and want to be a Tamer as well as Knight- if only they could summon. Honestly though, he’s not too surprised that this kid is the one who figured him out. Just that it happened so soon.

  
What he expects even less, however, is the reaction he gets from another student. The boy reminds him of a German, gun-toting Shiemi, all soft words and mild manners, bright and cheery even after a long day of school. He’s gotten to like Rin quite a bit, and Rin has to admit he likes the boy too, who is always coming up to ask extra questions and wanting to know more about everything. If he wasn’t so amicable and trusting, Rin would have pegged this one as the one to figure him out alongside the loner kid. But as soon as Yamashita calls him out, the Schmidt boy bolts up and rattles off at Yamashita in accented but fluent (if a bit stiff) Japanese, clearly upset with them for accusing Okumura-sensei of such a thing, how dare they. He watches silently, passively as the two battle back and forth, each refuting the other’s argument as fast as they come, waiting for someone to say something but they don’t, the other teenagers just sit in shock and watch their classmates come very close to blows while their teacher does nothing. As he listens, Rin is reminded that Schmidt is an outsider as well because he’s an immigrant, and wonders if the two could get along if they weren’t at each other’s throats. Hmm…

  
“Yamashita, Schmidt,” he says suddenly, ending their argument immediately. His face is set, unreadable except for the tiniest hint of a smirk tugging at his lip. “That’s enough. Come with me, I wanna talk to you two.”

  
Without looking to see if they’re following- he knows they are, he doesn’t need sensitive hearing to be able to tell that- he turns and leads them out into the hall and further still into an empty room across from his classroom. He closes the door behind them, maintaining his stern façade for only a moment longer before he smiles broadly at them, both standing confusedly and awkwardly in the middle of the dusty old room. “First off, I’d like to say thank you to Mister Schmidt for defending me, even if you’re wrong,” he starts, and revels in the absolutely stunned faces he’s greeted by. By now his grin is positively shit eating. “And second, I want to congratulate Mx Yamashita for being the one brave enough to call me out.”

  
There is a beat. Then, the unexpectedly foulmouthed “What the shit?” from Schmidt is enough to make him bust out laughing, doubling over and clutching his sides. Yamashita stands there silently, clearly reeling at being proven correct. He’s never gotten this close to them before, and at this distance he knows why Yamashita was the one to notice it after all; the kid’s orange-yellow eyes certainly aren’t that way because of contacts.

  
While he’s bent over and recovering, Rin lets his tail slip out from underneath his shirt, barely containing the shiver that runs down his spine when it drags across his body. When he straightens up it flicks behind him nonchalantly, and he sees Yamashita’s eyes tracking its every twitch.

  
“Good job, guys,” he says, and he means it. He knows these two both have it in them to make it big- Yamashita due to their perceptiveness and Schmidt due to his faithfulness. In the back of his mind he thinks they’d be good partners and files that thought away for later use, if a rivalry didn’t start because of this. For now, though…

  
“So, got any questions for me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is mainly a headcanon-exploration fic. I'd like to point out that I didn't intend to add any sort of original characters into this, as the story is supposed to mainly focus on Rin, but I ended up giving names to two students anyway, Warren Schmidt and (uhh name? idk) Yamashita. Hopefully in the future they won't be much more than plot devices, unless of course future-fic OC students are an actual thing people like to read about here?
> 
> Edit 6/13/16: Changed a few things. Nonessential to the plot, just a few minor details. I was going to change things to have honorifics, but I didn't like it quite so much. I don't think it works quite so well in English, and I honestly didn't feel...qualified, I guess? enough to actually use them. Therefore, Schmidt and Yamashita stay Mr. and Mx., respectively, when they're used. However, Rin is more likely to drop the titles, so it's more likely that this chapter will be the only time he uses them.


	2. Interlude: Kuro

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because I said I would.

About a month into being a teacher, Rin brings Kuro to class with him. The cat sidhe is perched proudly on his shoulder, twin tails swinging gently with his strides. The class is learning about familiars, so it’s only fitting that he brings his own with him. There is to be no summoning today; he’s only discussing familiars and their types.

When they arrive, most of the students are already seated and ready, and those who aren’t move back to their chairs and prepare for the lesson. A few glance curiously at the demon cat, and of those few most appear apprehensive. For the most part though, it seems as though many students already know what a familiar is and don’t give their teacher a second glance. Yamashita, though…

“Rin-sensei, I thought you were a Knight,” they say, phrasing it as a question.

“Yep,” he responds, but doesn’t say more since he’s got a muffin in his mouth. He does too have manners, thank you very much. After a few moments he swallows and continues. “Having multiple Meisters isn’t too uncommon, though most people only go for two.”

“So you’re a Tamer too, then?” He thinks he hears a little bit of hope in their voice. 

“Yep,” he says again. “But I’m also a Dragoon, and I’m working on Doctor and Aria Meisters as well.”

He’s pretty sure the entire class is a little awed. How could this scatterbrained teacher who proudly proclaimed on the first day of cram school, “I’ll never assign homework on a weekend!” have not one but three Meisters? He thinks he’ll let them wonder.

Of course, this works well for the duration of approximately one class period. Afterward, as all the students are filing out of the room, Yamashita hangs back and approaches Rin, who is petting Kuro and congratulating him on keeping the class interested. “Sir-” they start, but Rin immediately cuts them off.

“Don’t call me sir,” he says curtly, seemingly nonchalant but sending a warning all the same. Rin Okumura is many things, and a teacher he is, but a gentleman he is not. He’s not a ‘sir’. That’s all Yukio. “Anyway, you were saying?”

“Rin,” they amend, recalling the teacher’s aversion to formalities. “Can you show me how to summon a familiar?” They’re sure he will. Okumura is an accommodating teacher, and he always gives extra help when asked for it. Sometimes, they wonder if it’s because he never asked for help when he needed it. They’ve read that some people will become teachers because they want to make up for how badly they did in school. That doesn’t seem right, though. For all his bumbling and contradictions, Rin seems to genuinely enjoy just helping people. Thus, the answer they receive is very confusing.

“No, sorry,” Rin answers, smiling sheepishly. Yamashita stares, dumbfounded.

“But- you’re a Tamer.” Did he lie? “Kuro is your familiar, isn’t he?”

“Ye-es?” Suddenly, Rin-sensei is a lot more hesitant. Flustered, even.

“Then can you show me how to summon my own familiar?” they repeat, firmer.

“Unfortunately, still nope.”

…what? Then how can he be- and suddenly the overwhelming feeling that Rin is lying comes back.

“Rin-sensei…you’re…not a Tamer, are you?” they ask flatly. It’s not even really a question.

“No, I am,” he assures them, but then reconsiders. “In a manner of speaking. There’s more than one way to get a familiar, kid.” As he gives Yamashita this confounding, yet vital, piece of information, Kuro winks at Yamashita, almost cheekily, before rubbing up on their arm and purring.

They leave that day more curious than ever before, and with a sneaking suspicion beginning to take root in their mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is turning into a collection of interconnected oneshots, it seems. They won't be in any particular order, or maybe they will. I dunno. Anyway, here's a thing.


	3. Interlude: Badass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because I'm a sucker for Rin with scars, have this. Headcanons galore!  
> Alternative title: Balancing Act

Something that always surprises new people Rin meets is the sheer number of scars on his body. Even his face is marked. A notable one on the left side of his mouth cuts straight through his lips and makes his smile a little jagged. There's a divot in his right cheek where a claw gouged him; a little higher and he'd probably be blind. On the same side, his ear has a clear tear in it. One scar slices horizontally across his nose, and dangerously close behind his left eye is a vertical cut that veers back toward his temple. Usually covered by the collar of his shirt is a large, thick and brutal scar that rips across the back of his neck, which he got when he was nearly decapitated with his own blade. He feels it every time he reaches up to scratch the back of his neck. It doesn't really bother him, but it makes him want to grab Kurikara and make sure it's still there on his back. Rin might be stupid on occasion, but he’s no fool and he knows his own limits- though he might push those constantly, he knows his healing is no joke.

Unlike many people would like to believe, demonic healing does not equate to invincibility, or anything of the like. Yes, he heals quickly, but it is with the same amount of pain and through the same process- just packed into a shorter amount of time. Sometimes this means he has to have his bones re-broken multiple times before they set properly, or puncture wounds pried back open to pull out debris or bullets. Sometimes holy water has to be poured on his injuries to prevent them from healing so doctors can work on him. Sometimes demon healing _really_ sucks. At least he's immune to getting burned, though the scars _are_ totally badass.

Seriously, he’s glad fire is one of his strengths. Rin can’t count the number of times someone’s tried to use it against him, only to be sorely disappointed that it doesn’t work. He doesn’t need any more weak spots; he’s already got his sword, which is the source of his power and his demon heart, and though he has long since been persuaded to cut his hair a little shorter so he can look presentable on occasion, it still gets pulled quite a bit in fights, along with his tail. It’s because of his weak spots that he’s had to learn hand to hand combat, as well as how to fight with a sword without relying on a hack-and-slash videogame character method of simply blasting his flames at the enemy. That and his identity. But sometimes, missions really do require a little more finesse.

Missions _and_ teaching. Today he’s showing the first years all about the Knight Meister, which he knows is bound to be one of his favorite lessons of the year (aside from terrorizing them with Reapers, of course). In order to do that, he’s had all the students choose a partner and spar with wooden _bokken_. He watches them for a little while, but when it becomes painfully clear that most of them have no idea what they’re doing, Rin has no choice but to step in. He smirks a little to himself, thinking that for once he might look cool in front of his students. Swords _are_ , after all, his specialty.

Within ten minutes of stepping into the ring, however, Rin knows something has gone horribly awry. He is in lighter clothing today, just a t-shirt and sweatpants, and the less suffocating nature of this attire usually means he would be free to let his tail out. However, he’s in front of his class right now, which means he can’t, and that in turn means his balance is terribly off. He’s gotten used to using it as a tremendous aide in fights, making the normally clumsy and fumbling Rin Okumura into a quick and agile adversary, but this isn’t a fight and he can’t allow it to fly freely behind him as he usually would, for fear of revealing his half-demon nature to his students.

All this means he gets his ass handed to him right off the bat. And he still looks like an idiot. He knows, just _knows_ they all think his super badass scars come from not being able to get out of the way fast enough. Which is true, but mostly because he tends to throw himself headfirst into an attack without caring about his own personal safety. But whatever; they’ll learn soon enough that Rin Okumura totally _is_ a badass, with or without his tail helping him balance.


	4. Never This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rin realizes he's fucked up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm. Not quite the direction I wanted this to go, and on the short side as well, but on the other hand I now have an idea for a little plot revolving around Schmidt.

“So- you’re _actually_ a demon?”

“Not quite. I-”

“How can you be ‘ _not quite_ ’ a demon?! You either are or you aren’t!”

_Au contraire_ , kid. “Unless you’re not.”

“Why are you being so…so… _kryptische_?”

“ _K-krypt-ti_ \- wow, okay, that word’s not Japanese. If you’d let me finish, I’ll tell you what I mean, jeez.”

“…”

Rin leaves a pause, knowing what’s coming next. “Half demon. I’m half demon.”

As expected, Schmidt freakin’ _explodes_. “How is that- that’s not even a thing!” For being one of the quieter kids in class, Yamashita aside, Schmidt sure does have a temper.

“Yes it is,” Yamashita mutters quietly, so quiet Rin could barely hear. They’re standing all funny, shoulders raised and glaring off at some unseen point across the room. Their hands are stuffed into the pockets of their jacket and they look kind of offended. They’re doing the thing where their nose is all scrunched up but the rest of their face is normal, which means they’re offended. Rin’s seen this expression before. It’s that ‘ _I can’t believe you didn’t know that_ ’ face, and Rin kind of sympathizes right now.

“Hmm. Is it really that hard to believe? I mean, maybe you lived a really sheltered life but, wow,” he remarks flippantly- and, he realizes, he looks flippant too, leaning lazily over the leg he’s got propped up on the desk he’s sitting on. He shifts upright some and settles his elbow on that knee, then rests his head on his hand.

Schmidt’s face goes red and Rin feels bad. He shouldn’t be laughing; he didn’t find out about demons until he was Schmidt’s age anyway. And hey, who knows, maybe things are different back in Germany? Actually, they probably are. Japan has a _really_ long history with its mythical beings- demons- so it’s entirely possible that hybrids are far more common here than in other parts of the world. Except America. Regardless- even most people with demon blood he knows of have it so far down the line that it’s diluted into nothing, like Izumo, or it’s at least a few more generations back. Straight up half-and-half like himself is apparently pretty rare. He exhales softly, slouching some.

“Uh, sorry. It might not be the same where you’re from, but in Japan, it’s not uncommon to have demon ancestry. It’s a little rarer to be directly related like I am. If humans are _here_ ,” he says, moving his left hand just past his shoulder, “and demons are _here_ -” he puts his right hand in its respective place, “-then I’m right _here_ ,” he finishes, pulling both hands together until they clap together in front of his sternum. “So no, not exactly a demon.” He hums a little for a moment, sensing the distress in the air pulsating off of Schmidt alone so strongly he can almost taste it. Oh, if only that thought didn’t make him feel so… _inhuman_. He knows he’s gonna regret this little lie later, but shit, Schmidt’s staring at him, near hyperventilating and looking horrified like Rin just killed his parents in front of him or something and- oh, _hell_. That is _not_ a look he likes directed at him. “If it makes you feel any better though, I’m hardly more than the average human.” Not true at all. But when in doubt, a half-truth is better than no truth, right? “Plus, anything that can hurt a demon can hurt me, too- on top of stuff that can hurt humans.” He offers a little smile, hoping it can offset the revelation he’s just handed the two. He has a bad feeling it won’t do anything.

“I need to- I need to process this.” Schmidt states numbly. In an instant, Rin knows he’s fucked up. Like, bad. Man, if he’d known it would shake up a kid so badly, he wouldn’t have played this game with them. He would have just pretended to be human all year, so his students could have solidarity amongst themselves that their teacher was perfectly normal. He never wanted to subject them to this. He didn’t want this. Never this.

“That’s fine. Do you need to go b-”

“Please.” Schmidt’s voice cracks, Rin nods, he turns and exits quickly, almost running, gone. It’s very quiet without Schmidt’s nervous breathing. He waits, watching Yamashita, but they’re watching the door. He coughs a bit.

“Is uh, that all you wanted to ask then?”

“That’s it.” Dammit, why did the two quietest kids in the class have to be the ones to call him out? Yamashita swallows and their mouth moves without speaking for a few breaths before their eyes flicker over to Rin and they murmur, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Rin finds himself repeating. It isn’t. It really, really isn’t.

…he needs to go find Schmidt.


End file.
